Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz says Israel is facing a
more complicated situation due to growing enemy attempts to
infiltrate Israel on multiple fronts • "When we were attacked on all
fronts upon the establishment of the state, the entire country became
a united front. We will need that sort of strength again in the
future."

The challenges Israel faces in the Middle East due to the region´s
instability are growing, Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz
said Thursday.

Speaking at an event honoring the general staff´s choices for
outstanding reserve soldiers and officers of 2012, Gantz said that
Israel´s enemies are attempting to breach the country´s sovereignty.

Gantz praised reserve troops and said they are "critical for the
reinforcement of regular IDF conscripts."

According to Gantz, Israel´s enemies, both near and distant, are
increasing their attempts to breach the country´s borders and attack
Israeli citizens. There is now a multi-theater threat to the country,
one that is far more complex than threats faced in the past, Gantz
added.

Army Radio quoted Gantz as saying, "When we were attacked on all
fronts upon the establishment of the state, the entire country became
a united front. We will need that sort of strength again in the
future." On May 15, 1948, the day the British Mandate over Palestine
ended, the combined armies of Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq invaded
the newly established State of Israel, setting off the War of
Independence.

During Thursday´s event, Gantz distributed 40 certificates of
excellence to reserve soldiers and officers for their outstanding
contributions over the past year. Among those who received the awards
were reservists who continued serving even after they reached the age
of retirement, as well as those who served more than the usual amount
of days per year.

Gantz addressed the audience only several hours after Israeli troops
patrolling the security fence along the northern Gaza border on
Thursday opened fire on Palestinians suspected of trying to plant
roadside bombs.

According to Army Radio, the soldiers missed their targets, who then
disappeared into a crowd in Gaza.

A while later, according to reports, the two returned once again to
place the explosives along the fence and soldiers once again opened
fire. Palestinian sources reported several people wounded by the
gunfire, but the IDF did not confirm or deny those reports.